The Butler Bulldogs (11-9, 3-6 Big East) will try to break down the top scoring defense in the Big East Conference when they travel to face the No. 15 UConn Huskies (15-5, 4-5 Big East) on Sunday. Butler was dismantled by the Creighton Bluejays 73-52 at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Tuesday.
Simas Lukosius was the key player in defeat with 18 points. The Bulldogs fell to 10th in the Big East Conference. UConn dropped their third in a row in a close one on Wednesday at Prudential Center, falling to the Seton Hall Pirates 67-66.
Adama Sanogo scored 16 points to top the scoresheet in the loss. With 13 points and six rebounds, Jordan Hawkins also produced a strong performance. The Huskies are sixth in the Big East Conference. This is the last meeting of the season between the teams.
UConn will be looking for a season sweep against Butler after getting the win in the only prior meeting 68-46 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in December 2022, their sixth straight head-to-head victory. Sanogo led the Huskies with 27 points and 14 rebounds. Manny Bates had 16 points and three assists in the losing effort.
The Bulldogs have been led this season by Chuck Harris (12.3 ppg), Jayden Taylor (12.2), and Lukosius (11.5). Lukosius also has dished 3.0 assists per game. Meanwhile, Bates is grabbing 5.4 rebounds per game.
Sanogo’s 17.2 points per game have powered the Huskies on offense. Sanogo also has pulled down 6.8 rebounds per game. Tristen Newton has doled out 4.1 assists per game. The Huskies are holding opponents to 63.9 points per game, ranking as the stingiest scoring defense in the league.
In the last 10 games, Butler is 4-6 with an average margin of -5.7 (63.7-69.4). For the season, the Bulldogs are averaging 69.0 points per game, compared to 66.6 for opponents.
UConn has split the last 10 (5-5), scoring 75.9 points per game on average while allowing 69.6 (+6.3 margin). The Huskies are averaging 79.0 ppg for the full season while allowing 63.9.
BULLDOGS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Jalen Thomas: 14.4 | 5.6 | +8.8
Manny Bates: 8.4 | 18.0 | -9.6
Points per game:
Simas Lukosius: 14.8 | 11.5 | +3.4
Manny Bates: 5.0 | 11.4 | -6.3
Rebounds per game:
Manny Bates: 2.8 | 5.4 | -2.5
Assists per game:
Chuck Harris: 2.0 | 2.8 | -0.7
HUSKIES HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Joey Calcaterra: 5.0 | 10.5 | -5.4
Assists per game:
Tristen Newton: 2.6 | 4.1 | -1.5
SportsTips’ College Basketball Pick:
UConn -15.5 (-110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
